Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge thinks it's unlikely that Manchester United will be involved in the title race this season.

After signing Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer, expectations were high heading into this campaign. However, things have quickly fallen flat at Old Trafford in recent weeks.

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Dominant home wins over Leeds United and Newcastle in the opening month of the season suggested that the Red Devils could be a major force this term.

Their form has dropped off significantly since those victories, though. The team have been knocked out of the Carabao Cup by West Ham, beaten by Young Boys in the Champions League, and have lost three of their opening nine league matches.

Their most recent defeat was by far their most embarrassing, as they were torn apart by their bitter rivals Liverpool, who ended up recording an emphatic 5-0 win at the 'Theatre of Dreams'.

That result leaves United eight points adrift of top spot already, and facing an uphill battle to get back into the title mix.

GIVEMESPORT Giveaway

What has Bridge said about Man United's title credentials?

Bridge feels that there is a considerable distance between the top three - Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City - and the rest of the Premier League. 

He has admitted that United fans will have hoped for more after their summer recruitment, but the reality is that they are still playing catch-up to those three outstanding sides above them in the table.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “I’m afraid, when you sign Sancho for £80m and Ronaldo with his wages and everything, people are going to expect you at the very, very least to be in the title race come April/May. And at the moment, that doesn’t look like it’s going to happen.

“It looks like you’ve got that three, and Man United maybe on their own as the fourth. And then clubs below like West Ham, Tottenham, Arsenal, and United as that fourth. But they won’t like people saying there’s going to be a gap to that elite three who are the best in the world.”

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Can Man United still challenge for the title?

Right now, it is hard to imagine that happening.

The top three appear to be pulling away from the chasing pack, and the gulf in class between United and Liverpool this weekend was scarcely believable. Jurgen Klopp's men looked like a well-drilled unit, whereas United were all over the place, and could have conceded more goals if Liverpool hadn't taken their foot off the gas in the final half hour.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side are currently seventh, so their primary focus for now should be on getting back into the top four, which is a minimum requirement this season.

If they manage that, then they can perhaps start looking further up the table, and try to close the gap to the top three. That seems a long way off at the moment, though, after their horror show of a performance on Sunday afternoon. 

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